It’s finally here again. No longer shall your Sundays be spent trailing round IKEA, competing laborious tasks such as shopping, constructing flat pack furniture or watching Stoke vs West Brom on ‘Super Sunday’. No longer will you be without touchdowns, pick-sixes, bone-crushing tackles and one handed catches. No. American Football is back.

Come this weekend, you’ll be in the safe hands of Sean McDonough and Jon Gruden as they guide you through the musings of the action packed dynamism of the NFL. With the extended coverage almost every night of the week, it’s time to get padded up and prepare for hard hitting action back with a bang.

To earmark the start of the NFL, we at 188BET have brought you our runners and riders for the upcoming season. One sure bet and one long shot – we have you covered for all things pig-skin.

Patriots look perfectly poised in the over market

When bookmakers release their over/under lines for NFL team’s pre-season, fans and punters await with baited breath. A definitive number of how many games they’re predicted to win, and the choice of whether they’ll hit that target or fail to reach the mark – it’s up to you.

If you look hard enough, there’s value to be found and an excellent way of getting maximum enjoyment out of your bet on a week-by-week basis. I have one sure fire pick that I think will beat their predicted total game wins.

Remember that really good looking guy at school, who was fantastic at every single sport – without even really trying that hard? That’s the New England Patriots. Joking aside, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady are the best combination duo in the league. New England breezed through the regular season last year, without superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski. A fit Gronk, Amendola coming into his own as wide-receiver and the addition of Brandin Cooks – the Pats depth chart is ridiculous.

With all the bells and whistles in the offense, it’s sometime goes unnoticed how good New England are defensively. This year, the Pats will be counting on third-year pro Kony Ealy and third-round draft pick Derek Rivers to step up to the plate in the absence of Jabaal Shepard and Chris Long. Swapping their second-round draft pick for Ealy should prove a master stroke. Picking up the machine from the Carolina Panthers, the 25-year-old has recorded 14 sacks in just three seasons. The Patriots win over 12.5 games this year.

Philadelphia Eagles to soar under no real expectation

Here comes the aforementioned long shot. With discussion flying over who’s favoured this season and who isn’t, there’s one team figuratively flying under the radar – the Philadelphia Eagles. Not attracting a great deal of attention from pundits and punters alike, the Eagles are possibly the most underrated, promising team in the NFL – if not, certainly the NFC.

The first thing you have to look at is quarter-back slinger Carson Wentz. Doug Pederson will relish the opportunity to coach, manage and mould a QP of the ilk of Wentz. Featuring in his rookie year last time around, a severely upgraded receiving corps will, in my opinion, make this the year he really stamps his authority on the team.

Philly’s manifold rushing attack is the most diverse in the NFL. Picking up LeGarrette Blount from the Patriots is the most under-discussed move of this year’s pre-season. A human wrecking ball, the sheer power is arguably unparalleled in the sport. Upgrading from Daren Sproles to Blount is the key here.

To put it simply, Philly have upgraded at wide-receiver in the form of Alshon Jeffrey. They have the formidable Lane Johnson on the O-line and are 5-1 when he plays. When he partakes in the action, there is an average of one point in their games. When he doesn’t – their differential is -17 points. A startling stat.

Let’s not get it twisted, they face some stiff competition in the NFC. The Packers and Seahawks are big favourites to capture the title. Atlanta will be more hung over from their Superbowl cataclysm than Charlie Sheen after a wedding. The competition is stiff, but so are Philly, and I think they have more than a punching chance.

The signs are there, and I’m backing the Eagles to win the division at startling 21.00 odds. I’m also backing them to win the NFC East, over the Cowboys, Giants and Redskins at 4.00. For a sure fire bet, I think the over/under line provides fantastic value. The line is currently sitting at 1.85 for over 8.5 wins, a task I think they’re more than capable of completing.